Handmade wardrobe from head to toe

Finishing the Gown

Friends, some of you have expressed your eagerness in seeing the finished gown… However, that will have to wait until after the ceremony. I would like the final result to be a surprise to everyone. Hope you will understand! I’m sure you will, though 🙂
Let it only be said that I absolutely love my gown! It really feels like *my* dress now. I just love it! 🙂

I can show you pictures of the final evening of sewing (Thursday night), during which I hemmed the dress by slipstiching the edge to the underlining only (which shows another advantage to underlining a formal garment!). This took quite a few hours, as you may imagine, because the skirt is rather wide at the bottom and I had to make sure for every small stitch that the needle was only catching the batiste underlining, and not the dupioni. To keep me entertained, I watched (or rather, listened to) one of my most-watched DVDs: the 1995 BBC Pride and Prejudice adaptation. That one never palls on me.

Sébastien took pictures as a souvenir of this ultimate evening spent sewing this special gown… I didn’t know whether you’d rather see Elizabeth or Mr. Darcy, so I’ll let you choose:

Sewing with Elizabeth Bennet

Sewing with Mr. Darcy

This way you can also see my sewing corner. We live in a two-room, 45-m² flat, and this table is our everything table: this is where we dine (you can’t even sit in the kitchen!), where Seb sets his laptop when he works from home (I have a desk in another corner). The right side of the table is my little sewing corner (the extremest part being most of the time slightly messy, as you can see here!), but I did need the whole length of the table to make that ample dress… You bet I made sure to clear up and clean the table thoroughly every time I wanted to do some sewing on the gown!

(I don’t mind the small space, though! As long as the family doesn’t grow larger, we’re quite happy in our little nest.)Oh, and, ahem, I was in my pyjama as it was getting on quite late that night!

~*~

Thank you very much for your comments to the previous post. I certainly wish I had started sewing earlier than 3 years ago. My grandma would have been able to teach me then… That is one of my bitterest regrets. Our only hobby when we were younger was music – lots of it, that’s for sure. I can’t regret being taught in music, that is another of my joys in life; but I sometimes wish it had been less exclusive, less exacting.

Nevertheless, Mamie was thrilled at my taking up sewing, and she admired my progress every time I came to visit her and we looked at what I’d been sewing. This played a major part in my motivation to try and keep improving – I kept striving to be up to her praise. I carry her last words to me in the depths of my heart and they were to that effect as well – I didn’t feel that I quite deserved them, but I’ll keep trying to be up to them.

Sorry for the talkative entry… I’ll make it up with pretty pictures soon! 🙂

39 thoughts on “Finishing the Gown”

Mr Darcy – every time!>>I was priviledged to have several fine needlewomen in my family, sadly I was too young to appriciate their talent – but I do have several wonderful examples to treasure. Your Grandmother’s encouragement was priceless, keep that in your heart.>>Looking forward to seeing the bride in all her radience.

What a great surprise! Let’s see, how many days till we get to see the dress? You sound so happy with it, I’m glad you when ahead and made the changes to make it *your* dress!>>I have “listened” to countless movies and tv programs since I was a teen, all because I was either stitching or knitting or something. Even now it is rare that I sit and “watch” tv without something to stitch. Not that I watch much tv; only a few hours on Friday and Saturday nights if I’m not busy!

I’ve stitched many an hour to the BBC’s P&P production. Love it!! Of course, I stop stitching long enough to watch my favorite scenes, even though I’ve got them memorized. What patience you have with your hand-sewing! I’m sure the dress will be lovely because of the care you’ve taken with it!!

I’ll opt for Mr Darcy as I think he is gorgeous, I love Colin Firth in Bridgette Jones Diary as well :-)))>>I’m glad you are waiting to show your final reveal of the dress, I wouldn’t have expected any different… even though I can’t wait to see it!! Not that long now anyway is it, bet you are both getting exctied now ;-))

I loved your ‘talkative entry’ – don’t apologize for it! >>The pictures of you industriously sewing are so cozy and homey – they make me smile!>>Gladly waiting for the BIG DAY to see your lovely gown. 😀

No wedding dress?? I am getting more anxious than ever to see you in it…and I am sure like everyone else too…hehehe…it’s ok…I would wait slightly longer till the wedding day…17 Days…woohoo.>>Remember to post all the pics. Though all of us can’t be there unlike some lucky ones…we all love to see you, Seb and family…by the way…Ms Kitty Kat coming too? ;-p

Sewing and P&P go together absolutely.>Can’t wait to see the dress dear Isabelle but yes we will wait and we understand why you can’t show the finished product yet. >You must be one of most organised person to be able to do your sewing in such a small area and to sew such a lovely dress bravo my friend.

Congratulations on you finishing the dress. I am very happy to read that you love it and that it feels like “your” dress. Your goal is achieved 😉 Wishing you being surrounded by loads of love everyday… Ann

Of course we can wait to see the dress. How nice to wear a dress of your own creation in your wedding. I did not learn to sew until after I was married and it was years before I could tackle a project so complex. >>Life is too short for bitter regrets. You did take up sewing and it was before you lost your Gram and that is reason to rejoice!

Oh well, I do think those pictures will hold me over to the big day 🙂 I do hope you’ll share some wedding photos with us. >>That is one of my favorite movies, too! Is it sad that I can recognize what part of the movie it is just by those frames? 🙂 Whenever I have a bad day, I settle down with my cross stitch and pop that in, and suddenly I feel much better.

I can’t wait to see you in your dress Isabelle, and I’ll see you for real, not on pictures only!!! 🙂>>I’m so happy you finally managed to do a dress that you love 🙂>>Oh and you know, most of the time, when I’m stitching, I listen to the TV program rather than watch it. LOL>>Hugs

I personally think, that Mr. Darcy is one of the best sewing companions ever…. I even downloaded the audiobook from librivox.org (for free), so I’m just listening instead of watching but Colin Firth is always the pic I do have in my head when I think of Mr. Darcy

Love seeing a peek into your corner of life, literally! The dress will be stunning. Better you wait to model yourself in it when you are feeling your most beautiful–your wedding day. >>At for Pride and Prejudice, I still am ashamed to say I’ve never seen it. I am so behind the times. >>I, too, wish I had learned to sew from my grandmother Mayme. She gave it up years ago when her sight grew dim and fingers shaky. My Grandma Dauber did upholstery; made me a doll bed I treasure!! She and I played dolls for hours! >We always want more memories, don’t we? That’s a good sign that the ones we did make are priceless.

Thank you so much for sharing the photos of you sewing on your dress – they’re wonderful and so special. There are so many things I wish I’d had time to do with my grandmother, and miss her when I am crafting and creating (as she was a crafter too, unlike the rest of my family). But I am glad that her love of making things lives on in me. I was sort of hoping that you would save showing us your dress until after the wedding, it will make it all the more special for the “unveiling” so to speak! Big hugs!

I can’t wait to see your finished dress, but totally understand why you want to wait to post a picture. I’ve never seen Pride and Prejudice but have heard it is wonderful. One of these days I want to rent it.>Sue

Hello Isabelle,>>I did not visit you for a long time and now see what all happened in your life. Sad things and good things. I wish you the strenght to go through them and of course all the best for your marriage to you and Sebastien.>>I am curious: We have here the habit that the husband to be should not see his wife in the wedding dress before the day of marriage. Is this the same in France, too ?>How are you managing this while sewing your wedding dress?>( I am asking since this situation is coming up for me too :-). And I am still not sure whether I will sew my dress myself or not…)>>Best wishes,>Katrin

I love that book and saw 3 films of it….thank you for sharing with us the final touches of your wedding dress , am sure it is beuatiful , specialy cause it is made by you and that itself brings a certain glow to it…>am thrilled to see you in it, and i wish i was closer so i can catch you going out of the church with the radiant smile you always have…>hugs & kisses

Love your chatty posts And I’ll take the photo of you sewing along with Mr. Darch *SIGH* Mr Darcy… ;o) Anyway, so great to see where you are (and comfy pajama’s too–we all have them!) and finishing your special dress. It will be treats to see you in it. And now doubt your dear Mamie sees you now finishing up, getting ready for your big day, and is very proud of you! ((HUGS))